A CD (compact Disc) player has been used very widely, a type of which has been a stationary type, a portable type, and an on-vehicle type. It has been enjoyed widely to replay music by way of CD. As is generally known, audio PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) data are encoded in an error correcting way and recorded consecutively by record-modulating. In FIG. 1, a reference number 1 indicates CD. Data between a read-in area 2 of an inner periphery side and an readout area 3 of an outer periphery portion are encoded in an error correcting way. Audio PCM data which have been record-modulated are recorded consecutively as a recording track 5 by way of bits.
CD player performs modulating process to recording data which have been readout from CD, in accordance with record-modulation. By performing decoding process in an error correcting way, audio PCM data are reproduced, reproduced audio PCM data are D/A converted, and thus output analog audio data are obtained.
On the other hand, in recent years, it has been possible to enjoy an audio playback by a personal computer. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, audio PCM data per 2 K bytes (2048 bytes) having a file format defined as a sector 7 are stored in a hard disc 6 of the personal computer. The audio PCM data are readout from the hard disc 6, changed to an analog signal, and then an output analog audio signal is obtained. In this case, as is generally known, each sector 7 includes a header HD, a data portion DA of 2 k bytes, and a parity Pr for error correction and modification, and the audio PCM data of 2 K bytes are inserted in the data portion DA.
At this point, in the following explanation, the audio PCM data having the file format stored in the hard disc are defined as WAV data, and a file thereof is defined as a WAV file herein.
In this way, during the present time, data (linear PCM data) having a consecutive recording format under the circumstances of handling a CD player as electric equipment for a consumer and the WAV file under the circumstances of handling the personal computer exist separately while the same music data are processed.
At this point, for the personal computer, by installing a function of the CD player, it comes to be possible to replay CD. Data having a CD format, however, are consecutive data of the audio PCM data. Thus, it is not appropriate to handle the audio PCM data by the personal computer.
For example, in the case in which the audio PCM data from CD are copied by converting the audio PCM data from CD to coding data having MP3 (MPEG1 Audio Layer III), ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding), and the like, it is not possible to perform high speed process if the audio PCM data are used without any process.
At this point, when a playback signal from CD is converted to the file format having a sector structure and once copied to the hard disc, because of the file format, it comes to be possible for the playback signal to be converted to coded data as the aforementioned MP3 type, ATRAC type, and the like and copied at high speed. Further, for the personal computer, it is convenient in various points of view for the audio data to be processed as the WAV file.
On the other hand, when the audio data stored in the hard disc of the personal computer are copied to CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), CD-RW (Compact Disc-Rewritable), and the like, the audio data having the file format are recorded in those discs. Since the CD player cannot reproduce data having the sector structure, it comes to be impossible to reproduce the audio data from those optical discs.
In view of such a background, conventionally, in order to make real a beneficial use of the personal computer and playback music under various circumstances by way of the CD player, even if the same music data are used, it is required to create a disc, in addition to a CD, for recording the audio data having the file format. However, this is not convenient, and further the number of discs comes to be large.
Though it can be considered that the playback signal from CD is converted to have the file format having the sector structure and stored therein by being copied to the hard disc, it is not preferable to store all of audio data of the file format as amounts to 40 megabytes per a piece of music in the hard disc, if the capacity of the hard disc, which is riddled with limitation, is considered.
In this way, conventionally, linear PCM data under the circumstances of handling the CD player as electric equipment for the consumer and the WAV file under the condition of operating the personal computer have existed separately while the same music data have been processed, thus there have not been circumstances in which both types of data have been able to be processed in the same manner.
In view of the aforementioned points, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a recording method and apparatus, a reproducing method and apparatus, and a recording medium for enabling a user to handle two types of audio data having the linear PCM data format and WAV format in an easy and convenient manner.